


ayurnamat

by leonhardts



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, Post-Canon, could be read as platonic ig but it's not jsyk. they're dating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-29
Updated: 2014-09-29
Packaged: 2018-02-19 05:11:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2375915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leonhardts/pseuds/leonhardts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes best friend duties entail giving a cool (cheesy) motivational speech (and some hand-holding, if you want to go that extra mile).</p>
            </blockquote>





	ayurnamat

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place directly after episode 25 so, warnings for spoilers up to the end of the anime obviously!! Just a quick little thing about some gay second years y'know.

Tanaka is quiet on the walk home today.

Nishinoya knows it's to be expected-- Tanaka really is the more reserved of the two of them, the more contemplative, even if most people don't notice at first (or, well, ever). And they have just gotten out of their first practice since the loss to Aobajousai. They've both been beating themselves up about it; the whole team has been.

Still, Nishinoya watches his friend out of the corner of his eye a little more intently than he normally would. He keeps quiet himself, too; less so because he's thinking, more because he can't quite say what he wants to say. Which isn't all that common an occurrence either.

"Ryuu," he starts, because sometimes (or, okay, in Noya's case, most of the time) it's better to just say the first thing that comes to mind instead of thinking it over too hard. "We had a good practice today. You shouldn't dwell too much on yester--"

"I'm not," Tanaka interrupts, looking at Noya. Nshinoya tilts his head slightly, waits for the rest.

Tanaka sighs, and after sliding his eyes back to the ground moving under their feet goes on, "I was thinking how it's going to be even more important to win at the winter tournament now.. with it being the third years' last chance and all.."

Nishinoya thinks about it for a second and sighs. "Yeah, you're right. I mean, not that losing is a possibility anyway!" He grins at his teammate, expecting Tanaka to grin right back, like he normally would.

But Tanaka isn't even looking at him, gaze still stuck on the pavement. "'Course.." he agrees, but there's no heart behind it-- it makes Noya's stomach sink almost as low as it had yesterday after that last block he had missed.

He knows it's not exactly inconceivable, that they could cost their seniors their last chance at victory-- he knows they were just barely holding on against Aobajousai. He knows they're a ragtag bunch, barely even a real team, honestly. They have a lot of rookies, and a lot of gaps in their defense. For all his grandeur, he's had moments (yesterday alone was proof of that) where he doubts his own abilities as their defense's backbone.

But it's not something he lets himself think too much on-- he knows he's done the best job he can, and that it's enough, for himself, and more importantly, for his teammates. It keeps him from tossing and turning at night.

He also knows Ryuu does the best job he can-- and it's more than enough, really. Karasuno's offense is really nothing to laugh at. And though he might not be their ace, or even have inhuman ability like Shouyou, or prodigious talent like Kageyama, Nishinoya knows Tanaka has more than earned his keep. He works just as hard, if not harder, than any of their teammates, and Noya wants, almost more than anything, for Tanaka to realize how one loss doesn't mean he's lost his right to stay on the court. As if one loss could be any _one_ of their faults', anyway.

Nishinoya sort of prides himself in how well he can read his best friend, though, and he can tell from the slump of his shoulders that that is almost exactly what he's thinking. That he might be the reason they lost, that he might be the reason they can't win in the future.

Noya sighs lightly and stops walking.

It only takes a moment for Tanaka to notice Nishinoya isn't beside him, and he stops a second later, turning around to look back at him.

"Ryuu," he says, firmly, grabbing his friend's arm in the tightest grip he can manage. "We did the best we could. We did _good_. _You_ did good." He takes a deep breath, a pause more to let him know how serious he's being, that he wants Tanaka to really listen. "You're not going to lose the third years' anything. _We're_ not losing again, Ryuu."

Tanaka blinks at him, and Noya could swear he's blinking back tears for a moment. (That's almost enough to make Noya smile on its own.) "Noya," he says, after another beat, sounding slightly choked up and using a voice quieter than normal. He leans down slightly, so that his forehead knocks against Noya's. Noya lets go of his arm, in order to let his friend wrap his fingers around his own in a grip just as tight.

Ryuu looks at him for a second, hard, contemplative, and for just a minute, Noya can't actually read his mind. "Yeah, I know," he says after a pause, smiling, just slightly, the tiniest twinge of his lips at the corners.

Noya grins in return, tilts his chin up so that they're noses bump against each other playfully. "Good," he answers, firmly, squeezing the fingers caught between his own gently.

Noya knows Ryuu, and he knows his friend isn't at one hundred percent right now. Even after his little motivational speech. He realizes it'll take some time (just as he knows it'll take some time to get totally back to normal himself, too) but the sinking feeling in his gut eases at Ryuu's crooked grin. It's not quite his usual one, not quite the one that makes Noya's own eyes light up, makes him feel like they can take on the whole world together-- but it's getting there.

"Thanks, Noya," Ryuu says, softly, and dips down a tiny bit more to brush his lips against Nishinoya's cheek, quick. Then he's pulling back, releasing only one of Noya's hands, as he turns back forward, starts walking again, pulling Nishinoya behind him. Noya doesn't stumble, but it's a close call.

"Of course, Ryuunosuke," Noya answers after a minute, mostly just to see the resulting dusting of pink on his best friend's face (mostly to get back at him for what he knows is the matching flush on his own).

They're not back at one hundred percent, not by a long shot, but Noya's comfortable enough to just hold Tanaka's hand and follow him home, knowing they will be, soon.


End file.
